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5.2

Overall Score

Author: Kalicia Bateman

LAST UPDATED: January 26th, 2022

Booking.com is based out of Amsterdam and is owned by the renowned Priceline Group (which also owns a number of other online booking and travel sites/services). Booking.com is backed by an extensive support system around the world by 165 offices in 63 countries. Booking.com seeks to be the world leader in booking accommodations online since 1996 and guarantees the best prices for any type of property including small, family-run bed and breakfasts to executive apartments. Booking.com is available in more than 40 languages and offers more than 640,000 properties in 212 countries. The online travel company not only is available for independent and family travelers, but also for business travelers as shown by its homepage. 

Keep reading for pros and cons, plus Booking.com reviews from real customers. 

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The Good

  • One-Stop Shop
  • Free Cancelations
  • Language and Currency Catering
  • Suggestions
  • Mobile App
  • Filtering

One-Stop Shop

Booking.com has created a one-stop shop for travelers looking to research, book, and subsequently manage all of their travel accommodations. The platform also allows travelers to "explore designations" which allows travelers to get the most out of their next vacation.

Free Cancelations

Sometimes, travelers are hesitant when making travel arrangements due to the fear that something may come up and they will not be able to go on their trip. With Booking.com, users no longer have to suppress this apprehension as they allow free cancellation on most rooms. This option gives travelers the ability to make changes if needed. This is not an additional to cost for users either, whereas most booking agencies do require a hefty fee for this added backing.

Language and Currency Catering

Another plus travelers experience when using Booking.com is its catering to the language and currency needs of international travelers. Their currency calculator helps travelers figure out just how much a foreign vacation will end up costing. Booking.com is consistently updated with the top currencies in the world such as the:

  • U.S. Dollar
  • Euro
  • Singporean Dollar
  • Pound Sterling
  • Canadian Dollar
  • Australian Dollar
  • Property's Currency

While these are not the only currency configurations provided through Booking.com's tool, they are the most used. Other currencies Booking.com allows for include: Argentine Peso, Brazilian Real, Chinese Yuan, Jordanian Diner, New Israeli Sheqel, and Thai Baht. In addition to "translating" the financial figures, Booking.com also allows users to set the language feature. Language translation is provided in: French, German, Russian, Latvian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese.

Suggestions

Booking.com also sets itself apart from other travel agencies due to its search engine which allows travelers to decide where to travel to based on their interests. It also lists several suggestions on its destination finder page with reasons why a customer may be interested. For example, Booking.com will most likely recommend Las Vegas to a traveler interested in:

  • Gambling
  • Entertainment
  • Nightlife
  • Shopping
  • Sightseeing
  • Museums
  • Adventurous activities

Mobile App

For the mobile traveler, Booking.com's app (available for both Apple and Android users) allows travelers to easily switch between their computer, smartphone and tablet.The mobile app makes offline confirmations possible eliminating the need for printers and internet when checking in. It also makes it easy for travelers to add extra night who aren't ready to return home or cancel a booking. Creating and signing into a Booking.com account makes it possible for travelers to sync:

  • Previous searches
  • Viewed hotels
  • Stored credit cards

Filtering

Booking.com also includes a feature that allows travelers to specify the type of travel they are looking to book. For example, travelers can specify whether the trip is for business or pleasure which helps sort and narrow down results to provide the best research listings. This helps users save time during the research portion of the trip management.

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The Bad

  • No Rewards Program
  • Complaints
  • No Complete Travel Protection Services

No Rewards Program

Although it has a vast offering to travelers everywhere from Indonesia to France, Booking.com does not have an established rewards program like its competition. The best customers can experience is a 10 percent discount at many hotels for being a Booking.com genius. Regardless of how loyal a customer may be, there isn't a significant return for regularly choosing Booking.com.

Complaints

Booking.com helps thousands of travelers each month plan, manage, and even alter their travel plans. With the sheer volume of users, there are still holes that come with a large-scale service. Common complaints of those who use Booking.com for their online booking needs include:

  • Incorrect descriptions of accommodations
  • Incorrect processing of payments
  • Loss of money due to exchange rates

No Complete Travel Protection Services

While travelers can change and cancel hotel reservations (some exclusions apply), they do not offer a complete travel protection service available for purchase. That means that if a user books flights or rental cars, they are not necessarily going to be able to back out of that reservation. Travelers need to be aware of the stipulations attached to each hotel's cancellation policy contrary to Booking.com saying is easy to cancel or change bookings. Customers may not have insurance in the case of:

  • Booking cancellations
  • Less than satisfactory rooms
  • Fire
  • Damage to property or loss of property
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The Bottom Line

Booking.com provides a number of valuable tools and resources for those starting the vacation research process. Their website includes insight into specific destinations and also has features where travelers can get ideas for their upcoming trip. While they are missing a number of services commonly found on other online booking sites, users cannot ignore the simple interface and sorting tool the reduces the time spent conducting research. Booking.com does understand the international market and helps customers book hotels in their own language and use their own currency for greater convenience. Travelers interested in boarding options in more than 200 countries and more than 600,000 properties just might appreciate the platform. Those that use Booking.com can expect the following from the service:

  1. Sorting, currency, language tools
  2. Travel Management
  3. Bundle and save option
  4. No travel insurance
  5. No rewards program

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Star Rating

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4.2

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70 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

56%

4 grade

26%

3 grade

6%

2 grade

7%

1 grade

6%

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Frank Kasimov Woodland Hills, CA

Booking.com Scam Alert This is Furkat Kasimov and I had an unfortunate scammer experience with Booking.com. The event occurred earlier this year after I made a 22-night hotel reservation directly through the website. I booked a stay from March 1st through March 23rd and was subsequently emailed by Booking.com with the details about my stay. The problem started when I clicked a link and went from the booking confirmation email to an external page regarding my reservation. When I did this, I realized the reservation was completely cancelled. Once I saw the cancellation, I called Booking.com to figure out the issue. I spoke to a customer service representative, who notified me that an internal team at Booking.com had decided to cancel the reservation because of my data. I couldn’t get any more details about the decision and couldn’t even get transferred to a manager or other superior to learn more about the decision-making process and the information used. This is not the first time I’ve used Booking.com but it is the first time I had such a negative experience. With every other circumstance, I’ve enjoyed my hotel stays and posted positive reviews to help others make future reservations. It’s unnerving because although Booking.com said they cancelled my reservation based on data about me, they would not let me know what those reasons were. On top of that, the reservation I made was non-refundable, meaning I still had to pay for the entire stay. This was without any prior notification regarding email, text, or SMS. I originally thought that I would only be charged if I cancelled the trip but instead, I think this was a scam by Booking.com. Even after trying to make a complaint through customer service, I got nowhere because there seems to be no process for getting any more details on how this cancellation happened. I would have thought that Booking.com is a reputable company based on how much spamming they do to get reservations through email. But those spam messages don’t reflect any level of care and attention received once you actually make a reservation. The one thing I’m grateful for is that I realized the cancellation before I took my trip. Since Booking.com didn’t give me any notice, I could have easily showed up to the hotel with no warning and not have had a room to stay in. I hope other travelers using Booking.com can avoid this experience since it was both inconvenient and costly. While I definitely avoided a major disaster by not showing up at a hotel with a cancelled reservation, I also feel completely scammed by the fact that I lost everything I paid without any indication as to why the cancellation occurred. I hope my experience helps other people avoid having such a negative experience with Booking.com. Their cancellation policy is so favorable to the company, but not to the guests. You really lose control over the specifics of your stay and have little to no guarantee that you’ll actually get a hotel room at the rate you thought was confirmed. Please be wary if you do decide to make a hotel reservation through Booking.com

6 years ago

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Ken Jones Phoenix, AZ

I recently used booking.com to book a motel in Front Royal, Va. The motel booked met my expectation and that transaction was as expected. What I did not expect was the sudden surge in telemarketing calls that immediately followed and continues a week later. It is quite obvious that booking.com sold my information to telemarketers and perhaps other marketing organizations. I will never do business with them again.

9 years ago

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Juliann Mecham Tilaran, G

Choose hostel.com over booking.com!! we booked a hostel and due to the availability of flights we had to switch and one girl booked it through hostel.com and switched it for free, but everyone who booked it through booking.com had to pay anywhere from 6-15 dollars to Do a cancellation!! They didn’t respond to my emails and calls and was not pleased with my own purchase though booking.com

6 years ago

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Jada Guzman Tampa, FL

This company has a lot of hidden messages in the fine print and I believe is set up to steal your money!

5 years ago